The Poems of John Byrom :: :: University of Virginia Library

Paucis , Friend Aphanus, abhinc Diebus,
With no small Pleasure, I receiv'd a Rebus.
Not that the Rebus gave it, understand,
But old Acquaintance Benjamin's own Hand!
For all the Blessings due to mortal Men,
Rebus in omnibus, I wish to Ben.

II

At his Request I sought for ancient City,
That lay conceal'd in cabalistic Ditty.
So did we all,—for, when his Letter came,
Some Friends were chair'd around the focal Flame,—
But Rebus out not one of all could make;
Diaphanus himself was quite opaque.

III

Tho' pleas'd with pleasing, when he can do so,
His Ingenuity he loves to show;
If such a Thing falls out to be his Lot,
He is as free to own when it does not.
Here he had none, nor any Succedaneum,
That could discover this same Herculaneum.

IV

Altho' it seem'd to ask, when it appear'd,
No great Herculean Labour to be clear'd;

562

So many different Wits at work, no doubt,
The City's Name would quickly be found out.
But, notwithstanding variorum Lecture,
The Name lay snug without the least Detecture.

V

You stand entitl'd, hereupon, to laugh
At hapless Genius in your Friend Diaph.
But in excuse for what he must confess,
Nor Men, nor even Ladies here could guess;
To Variorum seen, or Variarum,
No more of ancient City than old Sarum.

VI

One Thing, however, rose from this Occasion:
It put an End to Fears of French Invasion;
And Wits, quite frighten'd out of Dames, and Men,
When Rebus came, came into 'em again.
Tho' little skill'd to judge of either Matter,
Yet the more pleasing Puzzle was the latter.

VII

You'll think, I'm thinking, upon second Thought,
That, tho' we miss'd of City that was sought,
We might have told you somewhat of the Guesses
Of luckless Neighbours, and of Neighbouresses.
So, let us try to give you just an Item;
For it would take a Volume to recite 'em.

563

VIII

“I can't divine,” said Chloe, “for my Part,
What the Man means by ‘noblest Work of Art:’
From Clock to Temple, Pyramid, and Ship,
And twenty diff'rent Handiworks you skip.
Now, I dare say, when all your Votes are past,
City, or Work,—'tis Dresden at the last.”

IX

“Nor I,” said Phillis, “what the Man can mean
By his next Hint of ‘Nature's brightest Scene.’
Amongst so many of her Scenes so bright
Who can devise which of 'em is the right?
To name a Word where brightest Scene must lie,
And speak my own Opinion, Sirs,—'tis Eye.”

X

“Peace,” said a Third, of I forget what Sex,
“Has ‘well known Signal’ that may well perplex.
It should be Olive-Branch, to be well known,
But Rebus, unconfin'd to that alone,
May mean Abundance, Plenty, Riches, Trade;—
Who knows the Signal that is here display'd?”

XI

Thus they went on; but, tho' I stir its Embers,
It is not much that Memory remembers.

564

Two Ladies had a long disputing Match,
Whether “Charm-adding Spot” was Mole or Patch;
While none would venture to decide the Vole:—
One had a Patch and t'other had a Mole.

XII

So, “Wife's Ambition” made a parted School;
Some said “to please her Husband;” some, “to rule.”
On this moot point, too, Rebus would create,
As you may guess, a pretty smart Debate;
Till one propos'd to end it thus with Ease:
“The only way to rule him—is to please.”

XIII

Hold! I forgot:—One said, “a Parson's Dues”
Was the same Thing with riming “Badge of Jews,”—
And “Tithe” was it,—but “Corn,” or “Pig,” or “Goose,”
What Earth, or Animals of Earth produce,
From Calf and Lamb to Turnip and Potatoe,
Might be the Word;—which he had nought to say to.

565

XIV

Made for Excuse, you see, upon the whole,
The too great Number of the Words, that poll
For Correspondency to ev'ry Line,
And make the meant one tedious to divine!
But we suspect that other Points ambiguous,
And eke unfair, contribute to fatigue us.

XV

For, first, with due Submission to our Betters,
What ancient City could have eighteen Letters?
Or more,—for, in the latter Lines, the Clue
May have one correspondent Word, or two?
Clue should have said, if only one occurr'd,
Not “correspondent Words” to each, but “Word.”

XVI

From some Suspicions of a Bite, we guess
The Number of the Letters to be less;
And, from Expression of a certain Cast,
Some Joke, unequal to the Pains at last.
Could you have said that all was right and clever,
We should have tried more fortunate Endeavour.

566

XVII

“It should contain, should this same Jeu de Mots,
Clean-pointed Turn, short, fair, and à Propos,—
Wit without Straining, Neatness without Starch,
Hinted tho' hid, and decent tho' 'tis arch;
No vile Idea should disgrace a Rebus.”
Sic dicunt Musæ, sic edicit Phœbus.

XVIII

This, Aphanus, tho' short of Satisfaction,
Is what Account occurs of the Transaction,—
Impertinent enough; but you'll excuse
What your own Postcript half enjoin'd the Muse.
She, when she took the sudden Task upon her,
Believe me, did it to “oblige” your Honour.